Welcome to NASIOC - The world's largest online community for Subaru enthusiasts!

Welcome to the NASIOC.com Subaru forum.

You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our community, free of charge, you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is free, fast and simple, so please join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

alright. so. I have looked at a few threads on here and have been getting varying information. I am just looking for a nice engine to put into my 03 WRX so I can sell it and get it off my hands because i have enough toys as is and need cash for another project. anyway. theres alot of these JDM EJ205 engines on ebay and they are going for a great price. If I were to go ahead and get one, from what i have been reading...the only thing that would be different would be the fact that I would no longer have AVCS, right? or are there other complications. also i understand that the compression is different? would that be of much concern? i just dont want the next owner to call me complaining it broke and that they want their money back and all that sort of hell.

Bump. Im looking for information on this same swap, I do believe that a 03 usdm wrx is non avcs, but I may be wrong. would a similar year jdm ej205t, non avcs fit, plug and play, into a 03 usdm wrx? will the us ecu work with a tune? I would expect a code for the tgv valves because I know the 03 range jdm ej205t doesnt have tgv valves, Also is the ignition the same on these engines?

This is where I have been looking to purchase a jdm engine, so far they seem like a legatimate company, I have heard a few bad stories about ebay engines.

If you get the right jdm ej205 you wont have to change any wiring or anything.
Just a tune.

Downside to that you will have abit less power since cams will be retarded since avcs isnt working and avcs cams were left in there.
Power different will not be noticible at all and if you do this method next owner wil have alot less work to do to get avcs working.

If you get the wrong ej205 you will have to swap over quite a few things like intake mani with engine harness, head covers, cams.

Bump. Im looking for information on this same swap, I do believe that a 03 usdm wrx is non avcs, but I may be wrong. would a similar year jdm ej205t, non avcs fit, plug and play, into a 03 usdm wrx? will the us ecu work with a tune? I would expect a code for the tgv valves because I know the 03 range jdm ej205t doesnt have tgv valves, Also is the ignition the same on these engines?

This is where I have been looking to purchase a jdm engine, so far they seem like a legatimate company, I have heard a few bad stories about ebay engines.

If you get the right jdm ej205 you wont have to change any wiring or anything.
Just a tune.

Downside to that you will have abit less power since cams will be retarded since avcs isnt working and avcs cams were left in there.
Power different will not be noticible at all and if you do this method next owner wil have alot less work to do to get avcs working.

If you get the wrong ej205 you will have to swap over quite a few things like intake mani with engine harness, head covers, cams.

thanks for the info, for example, is this jdm ej205d, turbo, non avcs engine I posted the link one of the plug and play engines, or what jdm engine would I need for a us 03 wrx to install and not have to change over all these parts?

thanks for the info, for example, is this jdm ej205d, turbo, non avcs engine I posted the link one of the plug and play engines, or what jdm engine would I need for a us 03 wrx to install and not have to change over all these parts?

The problem is, there is alot of jdm ej205 and alot of vendors dont know what year they really come from.

Like someone else said its really confusing and easier to buy a used engine usdm from someone else or a working engine. Most junktards sell a wrx engine for 1400$ with 1 month warranty.

The problem is, there is alot of jdm ej205 and alot of vendors dont know what year they really come from.

Like someone else said its really confusing and easier to buy a used engine usdm from someone else or a working engine. Most junktards sell a wrx engine for 1400$ with 1 month warranty.

1 month warranty isn't really worth much. The wrx engines I see around here are usually about that price but they have over 100k. I'd much rather take my chances on something that has less than 50k on it. I bought a ej20g off ebay and couldn't be happier. Just my .02

1 month warranty isn't really worth much. The wrx engines I see around here are usually about that price but they have over 100k. I'd much rather take my chances on something that has less than 50k on it. I bought a ej20g off ebay and couldn't be happier. Just my .02

A month is plenty. Swapping the engine takes less then a day. You can compression check it, etc if its bad then you return it.

Remember tjis guy doesnt want unique or anytjing he just wants a running engine so he can sell the car.

I bought a JDM EJ205 on ebay from alnjdmmotors a couple of months back for 1100, it came off a 2001 Forester SF5. Had to swap intake manifold, metal crank and cam gears, coolant bypass tube, cam and crank sensor. Also JDM EJ205's has a higher compression rating(9.5:1) compared to USDM(8.5:1). After install and a tune it's good to go.

I bought a JDM EJ205 on ebay from alnjdmmotors a couple of months back for 1100, it came off a 2001 Forester SF5. Had to swap intake manifold, metal crank and cam gears, coolant bypass tube, cam and crank sensor. Also JDM EJ205's has a higher compression rating(9.5:1) compared to USDM(8.5:1). After install and a tune it's good to go.

Again their is several version of a jdm ej205. My info is by far the most correct.
Let the man get a usdm engine for sale that he can most likely find here on the forum or car parts.com and have a simple swap

Whatever you get make sure that it is DBC equal to or newer than '02 and if it has AVCS try to work in an ECU on the deal. After that you should just need a bulkhead wiring kit from IA for the AVCS (around $200)and.. voila!

Again their is several version of a jdm ej205. My info is by far the most correct.
Let the man get a usdm engine for sale that he can most likely find here on the forum or car parts.com and have a simple swap

Some people don't want usdm. Myself included. I found a local engine in a junkyard, $1500 and has 130k on it....why would I want that when I can have a much lower mileage JDM engine for a couple hundred more. I just need to know what works with the least amount of work. I don't mind swapping intake manifold, I just need to know which will work.

Some people don't want usdm. Myself included. I found a local engine in a junkyard, $1500 and has 130k on it....why would I want that when I can have a much lower mileage JDM engine for a couple hundred more. I just need to know what works with the least amount of work. I don't mind swapping intake manifold, I just need to know which will work.

Read the original post, seriously the guy just wants to sell his car with the least amount of headache.

I'm in the middle of a usdm ej205 to jdm ej205 longblock swap going into my 02' Bugeye. There are a few differences in which I have found between the two.

First, my MY Rex did not have AVCS so I shopped for a used low milage jdm that didn't and paid $1700 shipped. Did a Leak Down test because just a compression test won't give you info on if you have cylinder head leakage. Personally I don't want to have to go through all the trouble of changing everything over if I got a bad block. That being said all was good so I proceeded.

Main differences- intake manifold, fuel rail and injectors, oil cooler & water pump (jdm doesn't have and water pump is of a non-oil cooler design), crank sprocket, left head intake cam sprocket ( both sprockets have different pickup sensor profiles) coolant bypass tube that runs from the pump to the turbo (usdm bends up 90°), coolant hose from bypass tube on block to throttle body, and intake tube to turbo inlet.

You will need to swap over all of these components from your usdm to the jdm.

Everything else is plug and play on the block as you should be reusing your power steering pump, alternator and A/C compressor.

The reason I'm having to replace my baby's engine is because the jerkoffs I trusted to put a reman in her 3yrs ago failed to put a timing belt guide (VERY IMPORTANT ON MANUAL TRANSMISSION!!) over the crank sprocket, Causing belt whip while engine braking and snapping off cylinder #3's exhaust valve when it slammed into the piston, cracking the piston and ruining the head.

Hope this helps anyone who wants to go this route to get their baby back on the road without having to drop $5k for a reman.

I bought a JDM EJ205 on ebay from alnjdmmotors a couple of months back for 1100, it came off a 2001 Forester SF5. Had to swap intake manifold, metal crank and cam gears, coolant bypass tube, cam and crank sensor. Also JDM EJ205's has a higher compression rating(9.5:1) compared to USDM(8.5:1). After install and a tune it's good to go.

Not true, the compression ratio for gas burning turbocharged ej205's are the same. Normally aspirated engines and diesels are the only engines with the higher compression ratio.

Swap complete!!!. Everything running as it should. Found out it was running a little lean due to a faulty fuel pressure regulator, so I put a pinhole restrictor that was placed in the vacuum tube to the guage on the steering column in the line from the regulator to the manifold, which raised the pressure from 33psi to 34.5 psi and resolved that issue.

Also found out that the knock sensor and coolant reservoir were also different.

Next diy mod will be making an air oil separator from the unused coolant reservoir off of the JDM engine.

Just to let anyone who's interested know. It is imperative that you put a timing belt guide on engines that are being fitted to vehicles with manual transmissions. Otherwise you will be looking at replacing yours when your engine experiences belt float, especially if you have a lightweight flywheel.

Because my budget was only $2200 and I'd have to purchase even more parts, the swap did include a new timing belt, lower intake manifold gaskets, oil cooler seal, coolant, oil and filter,gasket sealant and the imperative timing belt guide (I got the Tomei). I already had new valve cover gaskets on the old block so I reused them, not to mention the engine came with a turbo (with almost no shaft play). As far as putting on new head gaskets, the leakdown test didn't show that was warranted, not to mention the time and effort to do everything as well as the headache of doing that. I needed her back on the road ASAP and she runs strong, so I'm happy.